Whether it’s a scorching hot day or bone-chilling winter, you might have seen individuals standing by the roadside through gusty winds or seeking shelter under trees during heavy rainfall, trying to sell flats to passersby. Known as catchers, agents, or brokers, these individuals attempt to show you a dream home and persuade you to buy a flat. Despite occasionally facing anger and frustration from people, they continue smiling and approach the next potential customer. Aajtak Digital sought to uncover how these individuals operate and the challenges they face.
29-year-old Dolly, who has studied up to eighth grade, shoulders her family responsibilities and remains unmarried. Standing on dusty roads while drenched in sweat, she peers into every passing vehicle, hoping someone will listen to her. She stands by the road from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., stopping people to tell them about her housing projects. She carries rate cards for everything from 1 BHK to villas, priced between 2 million and 8.3 million INR.
Source: aajtak
Dolly shares, "I earn 15,000 INR a month. If customers buy the home, I get incentives on top of that." Stationed on this road from Gandhi Nagar to Greater Noida West, Dolly approaches every passerby about her project, speaking to around 100 people daily, which eventually leads 4-5 individuals to visit the sales office, and even fewer make a purchase.
Varun, 22, a BCA graduate fluent in English, chose this line of work because he says, "It offers instant money and is a good start to learn about real estate." Varun shares that he works a 7-hour duty, stopping people and introducing them to the project and taking interested parties to the sales office. He prefers outdoor work and explains, "Whether sitting in AC or working outside, every job requires hard work. It’s just that summer can be a little challenging."
Source: aajtak
17-year-old Amir, another catcher, sits with rate lists, stopping vehicles. His job is to somehow get cars to halt, after which agents take responsibility to guide the customer to the sales office. Amir earns 3,000 INR weekly and chose this path due to lack of formal education. Without any complaints about his role, he shares, "I just have to stop cars and introduce them to agents. I start my work at 9 a.m. and finish by 5 p.m."
Source: aajtak
52-year-old Satendra Singh, formerly employed by a company but left jobless during COVID, turned to real estate to support his family. For the past two years, he’s been working from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., earning 16,000 INR per month. Finding customers, he says, has become challenging due to high prices of flats. As we spoke, his attention was on the road, ready with brochures for anyone passing by.
Challenges faced by Catchers
Identifying as a broker, Raju works for multiple builders. He earns a percentage if a customer buys a flat. However, not finding customers sometimes causes financial strain. Raju employs a catcher at his location to bring in customers for him, noting, "Catchers earn a fixed salary, but our income depends on successful sales."
Though catchers receive a salary, they get no additional benefits. They work under open skies without any insurance. Some catchers only earn money if they bring in customers. If they fail to meet monthly targets of 15 customers, deductions are made from their pay.
People like Dolly, Varun, Amir, and Satendra not only sell dream homes but work tirelessly to fulfill their own and their families’ dreams, even if dreaming of their own home remains beyond reach due to their minimal earnings.
